Hot Air Balloon (Donkey Kong franchise)
- This article is about a form of transportation in the Donkey Kong games. For the recurring object in the Mario Kart series, see hot-air balloon. For the Yoshi transformation, see Hot-Air Balloon Yoshi.
| Hot Air Balloon | |
|---|---|
 Artwork of a Hot Air Balloon for Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest | |
| First appearance | Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (1995) |
| Latest appearance | Donkey Kong Country 2 (Game Boy Advance) (2004) |
Hot Air Balloons[1] (also parsed Hot-Air Balloons[2]) are objects that are used for crossing large portions of lava in both Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and Donkey Kong Land 2. They are large, blue hot air balloons that are about the size of Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong.
History
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
In Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, Hot Air Balloons only appear in the level, Red-Hot Ride, where they are featured throughout. Diddy and Dixie can stand on a Hot Air Balloon and control the direction that it moves in by leaning either left or right. If the Kongs stand at the edge of a Hot Air Balloon, the animation of them about to fall off is shown, even though they cannot walk off a Hot Air Balloon. They can only leave a Hot Air Balloon by jumping off of it.
By default, a Hot Air Balloon slowly descends into the lava, but it can be suspended in midair if it is floating at the top of a thermal column. The thermal columns are at varying heights, and the Hot Air Balloon stops rising when it reaches the top of a thermal column. Most Hot Air Balloons start off at the top of a thermal column.
Throughout Red-Hot Ride, the Kongs must maneuver the Hot Air Balloon past a series of enemies, especially Zingers, until they reach the next Hot Air Balloon or land. This usually occurs a few times before the Kongs reach the land. Some of the Hot Air Balloons have a DK Barrel or an enemy such as a Kruncha or Neek on them. Although the enemies walk back and forth on a Hot Air Balloon, this does not affect the direction of the Hot Air Balloon. Krunchas can only be defeated from either a team up throw or by having an object thrown at it, as Diddy and Dixie cannot get onto the Hot Air Balloon otherwise.
Donkey Kong Land 2
In their second appearance, Donkey Kong Land 2, Hot Air Balloons have the same purpose as in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, although they have a slightly wider appearance. They only appear in two levels, both of which take place in a volcanic area, Redhot Ride and Fiery Furnace. There are no thermal columns, so Diddy or Dixie cannot suspend it back into midair.
Profiles
Donkey Kong Land 2
- Virtual Console manual bio: "Jump on these to cross perilous gaps. Press
to move left or right. The balloons will gradually start to descend after you jump on them."
Gallery
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest sprite
Donkey Kong Land 2 sprite
Diddy Kong riding a Hot Air Balloon in Donkey Kong Land 2
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | 熱気球[3] Netsukikyū |
Hot Air Balloon |
